Fascism II c. 1936

Jolán Gross-Bettelheim made this graphite on paper sometime in the 20th century. It's called Fascism II. It's dark, but precise. I can imagine Gross-Bettelheim in her studio, bearing witness, trying to make sense of the world around her. What was it like to be a Jewish woman in Europe during that time? Her choice of graphite feels significant—immediate, stark, and without pretense. The shapes create dark shadows, oppressive and inescapable, punctuated by the skeletal structure in the foreground. The geometric forms create a sense of claustrophobia and foreboding. Is it a premonition of what’s to come, or an attempt to dissect the present? Look at the figures at the top, like a band of soldiers, frozen in animation. The composition feels fragmented, pieced together from shards of experience. It feels like the work of Hannah Höch, or maybe Grosz, filtered through her own unique perspective. Artists are always in conversation with one another, and with the world. This print is a powerful reminder of the importance of art as a form of resistance and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.